Devices using Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 and/or Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) connectivity for Internet access are frequently either battery-powered or otherwise benefit from minimizing power consumption, particularly when not being utilized. For example, IEEE 802.11ah is considered suitable for use for sensor applications, such as a smart grid application, in which the stations are battery powered and should work for a long time without replacement of the battery. The Distributed Coordination Function (DCF) of IEEE 802.11 provides a power saving mechanism (PSM) allowing nodes to remain silent in a sleep state. However, various issues can cause actual use of the PSM to unnecessarily consume power.
There is, therefore, a need in the art for alternative power save mechanisms in using wireless network connections.